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Design Your Own Desktop with KDE 4
Posted by Kevin Purdy at 4:00 AM on January 19, 2008
One of the best things about KDE 4, the newest release of the mainstream Linux desktop manager, is something it doesn't do—force you to adapt to its way of running a computer desktop. Sure, the desktop environment boasts new 3-D effects, a polished theme, and improved functionality. But what KDE 4 does best is give users the ability to almost completely re-design their desktops, putting their programs, icons, and useful widgets wherever they see fit, on as many desktops as they want, to create their ideal workspace. I spent some time exploring the features of the less-than-week-old system, the results of which are after the jump.
If you wanted to see how KDE 4 looks right now without committing yourself to a new install, you can burn a live CD from the Kubuntu or openSUSE distributions, both of which plan to implement KDE 4 in their next releases. If, after these screenshots, you're itching to switch for real, I'd recommend upgrading from inside a working KDE system rather than starting fresh, as none of the live CDs are officially supported yet. And there's a good reason why—this is just the first release of a system that's in many ways completely re-written, and a few important pieces are still missing from the whole. The developers have stated that KDE 4 is an intentional shift away from the norm, so those who rely on certain key programs to work might want to hold off until at least 4.1
But if you do boot up, the first thing you'll notice about the new KDE is its clean-looking, ready-to-work interface. It has many of the same components as current KDE setups, but the icons and elements of the new "Oxygen" theme make it seem less like the Cute Lil' OS That Could and more like a place to get things done (in my opinion, anyways).
Before jumping into the new-new stuff, note that the Start-like "K" menu (now named "Kickoff") has undergone a major overhaul, adding an in-line search function and dividing your programs up into five categories, including a Google-like starred "Favourites" list. The only letdown is the big icon size and having to click to move through sub-menus, although fans of the older mouse-over menu can restore it by adding it as a widget.
About those widgets—they're the heart of KDE's desktop engine, named Plasma, and they're a lot more powerful than clocks and mini-feed-readers, although they're there if you want them. Everything you could put on the taskbar, and anything open source programmers can dream up, can be embedded anywhere on the desktop. After tinkering around a bit, I came up with my own taskbar-less desktop that was a bit crowded, but gave me a lot of functionality from the get-go:
The widgets get covered up once you start opening program windows, but you can bring them to the fore and shade over your windows, Mac-style, with a Ctrl+F12 keystroke. They're scalable vector graphics as well, meaning you can adjust them to any size, or even angle, and they'll still look right. One notable widget is the "File Watcher," which can display text from any file you point it at, making it a great way to track your text-based to-dos.
Mess around a bit, and you can come up with a lot of way to reorder your space in convenient ways. Put custom program launchers together across the screen bottom to create a Dock-like launcher. Move your window switcher to the top or the sides, or eliminate it altogether and stick with Alt+Tab. You can do many of these things in GNOME and in other operating systems, but KDE gives you a fairly blank slate from which to draw your own map to productivity.
KDE 4's other big change is splitting the tasks of web browsing and file exploring between Konqueor and Dolphin, respectively. Dolphin, the newest kid on the block, brings split-view browsing for easier file transfer, and integrates the multi-format Okular viewing tool (seen in the background below) to view, bookmark and even add notes to files, making it easier to organise and sort them later.
Of course, no new Linux environment is complete without super-powerful, endlessly tweak-able Compiz-ish desktop effects, and KDE 4's got 'em in spades. If you want your windows or menus to move a certain way, chances are you can do it.
There are many more improvements and changes in KDE 4, including improved multimedia handling, easier handling of plug-in devices and re-engineered core programs. What features did I miss that are worth noting? What do you hope to see come up next for KDE, GNOME, or any Linux system? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Kevin Purdy, associate editor at Lifehacker, just ever-so-slightly missed the sight of the KDE dragon Konqi when looking around the latest release. His weekly feature, Open Sourcery, appears every Saturday on Lifehacker AU.
Tags: 3d | customization | desktop | feature | kde | linux | live CD | open sourcery | operating systems | telephony | top
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
Jeff Singleton
Posted September 4, 2008 2:54 AM
Hi! How do you remove the text from the desktop widgets (icons)?
jonnydover
Posted 4:32 AM 19/1/08
One of the best features of KDE4's compositing effects is its Expose effect, activated by dint of using corners OSX style. It's the one piece of eye-candy I find I can no longer live without in Compiz, and it's a welcome addition to KDE's native compositing engine as well.
jonnydover
ajax622
Posted 4:32 AM 19/1/08
I thought I read that there were some issues with the current KDE 4 release?
ajax622
The How-To Geek
Posted 4:32 AM 19/1/08
I'm interested in your tweak for how to remove the taskbar... or any other customization tips that are taskbar related.
The How-To Geek
enine
Posted 4:32 AM 19/1/08
It always amazes me how far ahead of Windows or OS X the KDE desktop is.
enine
person65535
Posted 5:33 AM 19/1/08
@CyberCowboy: Im guessing Kubuntu 8.04
person65535
CyberCowboy
Posted 5:33 AM 19/1/08
@Myotheralt Why would you have to wait until April?
CyberCowboy
EMoShunz
Posted 5:33 AM 19/1/08
all they need is a 'make me feel like os x' option (i.e. common menu bar and dock, i know the menu bar is an option i know, but i can't find a qt4 dock) and i'd be happy. awesome as is though. 5-7 years and oss will be ready to have a real 'year of the desktop linux' (or bsd).
EMoShunz
Zale.Dowlen
Posted 5:33 AM 19/1/08
Oh, that's why I want to upgrade to KDE 4. Nice!
Zale.Dowlen
myotheralt
Posted 5:33 AM 19/1/08
Grr, I dont want to wait till April!
myotheralt
mr.elwood
Posted 5:33 AM 19/1/08
How did you get rid of the taskbar? I at least want to make it smaller in height but can't figure that out.
mr.elwood
invid
Posted 5:33 AM 19/1/08
Im anxious to check this out! Thanks for the review!
invid
graybird
Posted 11:12 AM 18/1/08
heh, I've been waiting for an "open sourcery" that actually had to do with open source. Congrats, Kevin!
nice article, maybe i'll have to give kde4 a shot now.
graybird
Adam Chernow
Posted 10:50 AM 18/1/08
@CyberCowboy: I believe that is when the next Ubuntu/Kubuntu release is scheduled.
@myotheralt: You can install it ontop of a current Kubuntu installation. There are directions on Kubutu's site: [kubuntu.org]
I've played with it a bit on my desktop machine and I can say I'm not currently a fan of KDE4. At least on my computer, the taskbar and icons seem to be freakishly huge and as far as I can see there are no options to shrink the taskbar, icons or text on the clock.
Adam Chernow
qpease
Posted 10:49 AM 18/1/08
I use PCLinuxOS 2007 with an earlier version of KDE desktop. I like it although it still has that XP feel. I like the GNOME Desktop too, but most distros tend to run a little slower than the KDE distros. This KDE 4 looks promising. My hope is that more distros adopt this desktop as an option or a standard. All I am hoping for now is that KDE 4 is not a system hog. I am not a OSX user, but I know it is a very nice system, let's just keep it unique, no copy-catting another system, please.
qpease
EMoShunz
Posted 12:15 PM 18/1/08
@Confuzius: good reason to switch. i am hoping kwin will have a similar solution soon.
EMoShunz
Confuzius
Posted 11:54 AM 18/1/08
But what about my cube?
Also is there any kind of Avant-Window-Navigator solution?
I switched from KDE to Gnome a while back mainly for AWN now my flow is very much attached to the centralness of it.
Confuzius
Pete
Posted 11:39 AM 18/1/08
Wow, I totally didn't know KDE allows you to do that now. Amazing.
Pete
mahalie
Posted 9:32 AM 19/1/08
Does anyone know of a good round up of Linux GUI tweakign options? It seems like there are a lot of desktop toys out there. I've been seeing a lot about Compiz as well. As a person fairly new to Linux and still using the default Ubuntu Desktop I'd love to see a big side by side. Esp. if it included RAM usage. I am also exploring for my soon to arrive sub-compact Asus eee!!
mahalie
IfIGetOld
Posted 9:32 AM 19/1/08
@Confuzius: Could you not get AWN working in KDE 3.5? I've not tried 4.0 because I have 3.5 configured the way I want it already.
IfIGetOld
n00blar
Posted 9:32 AM 19/1/08
@qpease: I agree with your comment. I posted something similar to the - copy-cat tendencies of linux desktops.
It would be a welcome change if for once we didn't have a Windows/OS X 'look alike' desktop.
n00blar
n00blar
Posted 9:32 AM 19/1/08
I like Linux, and I've been using it for about two years now; although I still use Windows heavily. My only gripe with Linux desktops is the lack of innovation. This new release is just another Vista/OS X look alike. I wish some of the developers would think 'out of the box' and create something 'fresh and innovative'.
I guess that's where closed/private code shines at; it seems that closed projects seem to innovate more than open source projects.
KDE 4 looks good for a Vista/OS X look alike desktop; personally I will pass and stick my Gnome based desktop.
n00blar
myotheralt
Posted 10:32 AM 19/1/08
@myotheralt: Mkay, maybe I do want to wait. I didnt think my video card was that out of date, maybe there will be updates to make things work as 8.04 is supposed to be long term support.
myotheralt
The How-To Geek
Posted 10:32 AM 19/1/08
@Adam Chernow: I had the same problem with it... the fact that I can't resize is bad enough, but not being able to move it to the top of the screen just irritated me to the point where I went back to KDE3.
The How-To Geek
eternicode
Posted 10:32 AM 19/1/08
I tried KDE4 on my fresh Gutsy install...and I guess I was just scared off by the radical newness of it. Reading this article, I've decided to try it again. It's a nice new environment...except for the relative lack of customizability.
Just a few turnoffs for me:
1) Fixed widget sizes; you can rotate and scale the widgets, but width vs height is totally automatic.
2) Lack of "robust" context menus. In KDE 3.5, panels etc were customizable via right-click menus that had a lot of options. this new "panel" has no such menu...
3) KickOff still has no options for customizing the button image...and now I can't use KBFX :(
Of course, it's still in beta mode, I think, so I probably shouldn't be too hard on it :)
eternicode
eternicode
Posted 4:42 PM 18/1/08
@Adam Chernow and The How-To Geek: I read somewhere (can't find the link) that the panel (and the plasmoids, to a lesser extent) is currently so dysfunctional because of the version 4.0 feature cutoff: they just didn't have time to finish the functionality before the release date, so they cleaned it up and pushed it out. Also, apparently 4.0 is less the final release than the pre-initial release [www.pcworld.idg.com.au] ; version 4.1 is due out sometime in the next six to nine months.
"Core developer Aaron J Seigo likes the idea of a July release of 4.1 as there is 'a lot of 90% done stuff'"
So I'm guessing that KDE 4.1 will be much more poised to offer the customizability we Linux users have grown so accustomed to ^_^
In the meantime, you can get rid of the panel altogether (or most likely resize/reposition it) from the config file ~/.kde4/share/config/plasma-appletsrc
[hockeynoessologolpes.wordpress.com] You'll have to use something other than Plasma while editing the file, though.
And an interesting aside....apparently they're working on Windows and Mac OSX ports for KDE4. 'Twill be interesting to see this on my XP desk :D [wiki.kde.org]
eternicode
gyffes
Posted 3:32 PM 19/1/08
I was turned off of KDE (and PCLinuxOS) because they looked TOO much like the hated XP. For some reason, Gnome bothers me, as well, but I think that's b/c it's a buttugly (default Ubuntu) version of the MacOS.
Slowly, however, I've started to make all my systems (thank you, VMWare Fusion!) look alike -- I hide taskbars, eliminate desktop icons, run everything from Quicksilver, Katapult, SlickRun, Mercury.. so now, I can honestly say I'm OS agnostic: they all function JUST about the same (the XP installs, with BlackBox as window manager, even have desktops/Spaces).
SO while it's nice to see such interesting graphics as CompizFusion provide, or the sorts of desktop widgets shown here, what I want to know is, "Can I eliminate everything to make it run fast, no matter the hardware?"
For the record, Mahalie, there's a terrific version of Xubuntu being crafted special for the eee -- go to eeeuser.com and search for eeeXubuntu.
Cheers!
gyffes
The How-To Geek
Posted 3:32 PM 19/1/08
@eternicode: Thanks for the tip... Off to experiment! =)
The How-To Geek
soul_grind
Posted 2:32 AM 20/1/08
I installed Ubuntu as a dual boot a long while back after a lifehacker recommendation, and its pretty cool... but almost every bit of software seems to work better (or need) KDE... i'm wondering why Ubuntu seems to be the poster child of the linux-for-newbies brigade when KDE seems more supported and fully featured.
I must get around to trying KDE... how about an easy lifehacker tutorial on how to install KDE on Ubuntu???
soul_grind
-emory-
Posted 3:32 AM 20/1/08
@@soul_grind: I'm pretty sure it's something as easy as sudo apt-get install kubuntu :P Look around on Kubuntu's page, it should be there...
-emory-
earlycj5
Posted 3:32 AM 20/1/08
@SOUL_GRIND
It's awfully easy.
All you need is:
sudo apt-get install kubuntu-desktop
Full walk-through is here:
[www.howtogeek.com]
earlycj5
Kevin Purdy
Posted 10:32 AM 20/1/08
@soul_grind: Check out the update I just threw in below the second paragraph for a way to get KDE 4 working with Ubuntu. And sorry for the comment spam, everybody—I've been net-less since this published.
Kevin Purdy
Kevin Purdy
Posted 10:32 AM 20/1/08
@eternicode: @The How-To Geek: I got rid of the panel without config file hacking, but to be honest, I can't quite remember how—and now I wonder if it might have been by accident!
Kevin Purdy
Kevin Purdy
Posted 10:32 AM 20/1/08
@eternicode: Valid points, but I think the overall idea with KDE 4 was to remove the monolithic focus on the panel as the place to do everything. Much of the panels' functionality (app switching, "quick launch" icons, etc.) is now available in widgets that can be placed anywhere, and more widgets are surely on the way. Also, to get more widgets, at least from the Kubuntu KDE 4 repositories, install the extragear-plasma package.
Kevin Purdy
Kevin Purdy
Posted 10:32 AM 20/1/08
@qpease: From my experience, even running KDE on top of a GNOME installation, KDE 4 moves slightly faster, and with way fewer of the "tiny little crashes" I remember from KDE 3.5.x
Kevin Purdy
mb
Posted 2:33 AM 22/1/08
@ajax622: Issues in KDE 4.0
From the Ars Technica Review (emphasis mine):
"While reading this article, it is important to keep in mind that KDE 4 is still largely incomplete. Many of the details provided in this article reflect the fact that the 4.0 release is not a finished product. The KDE development team controversially decided to release 4.0 in a premature state in order to stimulate user interest and promote accelerated development. The result is that KDE 4.0 is, in many ways, like a preview for developers and technical enthusiasts rather than a release for enterprise desktops and production environments. My extensive testing shows that KDE 4.0 can be used on a day-to-day basis, but there are many inconveniences posed by the software's current limitations. In this article, I will try to provide a balance of forward-looking analysis and detailed descriptions of the software's current state."
mb
techmunkey
Posted 8:57 AM 22/1/08
I have been using Ubuntu since early November 2007. As a new Linux user I tried all three flavors of Ubuntu Linux, Gnome, KDE, and XFCE. XFCE was meh. Gnome is fantastic and bends totally yo my will. Why would a Linux user with all this power on their desktop want to emulate something they claim to hate(Windows XP or Vista)? I guess to draw users. Tried KDE4 and it is quite lacking.
Gnome + Gimmie + gdesklets + AWN + COMPIZ = Friend Envy Eye Candy > XP,Vista,MAC OSX
techmunkey
cyclefiend2000
Posted 6:27 AM 23/1/08
i tried KDE4 on my kubuntu install. like mentioned before, i dont particularly like the large icons. i cant see anything particularly innovative above and beyond the last KDE release.
for simplicity's sake, i prefer fluxbox.
cyclefiend2000
super_bryant
Posted 10:03 AM 23/1/08
@techmunkey: I had GNOME and all those other programs you said the only problem is that running on that crap really slows down your system....so I'm all for a distro which does all that stuff natively. I hope thats where KDE 4 is going....It's just really young at this point.
super_bryant
bugmenot21
Posted 2:32 AM 11/2/08
Well, it's not like KDE is the only DE you can customize that much. Xfce can go very far, too :)
bugmenot21
allholy1
Posted 4:17 PM 16/2/08
@eternicode: Here's the link for the windows port. I'm installing it now.
allholy1